Take My Hand
The next morning I woke up surrounded by noises, probably the only reason why my eyes opened up so early. As I raised my head from the pillow I saw Lexa picking up the papers she had left on the table the night before, the ones that she needed to use during the day. She was dressed up very differently from the way she used to dress the few times that we had seen each other. She wore black pants, a simple white blouse under a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. The loose hair and her usual heart-shaped necklace.
“Won’t you be boiling hot dressed up like that all day?" I asked as she walked to the kitchen to drink a sip of coffee from her cup.
"I dressed up like this only because it’s a teachers’ meeting, when I lecture I can dress less elegant, thank God” she replied promptly picking up her bag and putting the papers in it.
"Listen, I’m in a rush, I'm already late. You already know eveything about the house so I don't need to tell you anything else. Oh right, I left a box in front of the door, would you do me a favor and bring it up in the attic? There is another set of keys on the table if you have to go out” she said and walked toward the door.
“Have a nice day" I said raising the tone of my voice, not knowing if she would have heard me, still sitting on the couch.
“Thank you, you too” she replied before closing the door.
I finally got up and walked to the kitchen, took out a cup, and poured a large amount of coffee in it. Coffee was like a drug in the morning.
After I got in overalls, I approached the door and saw the box. Taken by curiosity, I opened it. The first thing I saw was a pile of clothes neatly folded and next to them three vinyls of three different artists: one of the first CDs of Nirvana, an Elvis Presley’s one and a Frank Sinatra’s one. I had never asked her what music she liked to listen to, it had never crossed my mind, I hadn’t even thought she would listen to it. I had always pictured her with a book in one hand sitting on the couch, I had never associated music to her. The contrast between the Nirvana’s vinyl and the Elvis and Sinatra ones left me thinking that she liked to listen to different types of music and that she wouldn’t limit herself to a particular genre.
"Where the heck is the attic?" I thought as I took the box in my hands.
I got upstairs and as I reached the first floor I realized that there were other steps that, of course, would have led to the attic. I reached the second floor and found myself in front of two doors, one wrapped up in darkness and a glass one from which the light of day could be seen. I quickly put down the box between other boxes of various sizes and, intrigued by that light, I tried to open the door. It was closed but right next to it there was a key that was hanging from a nail. I took it and, as I opened the door, I was struck by the warmth of the sun. In front of me there was a large bare terrace, except for the few plants in the corners and a plastic bench. I sat on the bench wrapped up by the light and the heat of summer. From up there the entire city of Washington was visible. I noticed the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial next to each other and, finally, the Capitol. I wanted to stay there until the sun would have found itself above the horizon and the lights of the city would have been turned on, admiring in silence.
I certainly didn’t stay there for only ten minutes, but when I realized that my stomach was beginning to rumble again I noticed it was almost time for lunch and not wanting to give any further hassle, I thought about getting something to eat downtown.
As I got out of the cab, I got into the first bar that seemed good. There were few people and at the counter there was a guy who was making sandwiches for a customer who was waiting anxiously in front of him.
I sat down at a table and waiting for someone to take the order, I flipped through the menu to choose what I wanted to eat.
"Griffin?" I heard a voice calling for me, a voice that I already knew. I looked up and I immediately recognized the person from where the voice had come.
"Raven!" I said in disbelief of what I had just saw. Raven was one of my friends when I was in middle school, my best friend at that time actually. We hadn’t seen each other since she had moved out of town, we had texted each other for a while, but after a few years we ended up not talking anymore. I got up from where I was sitting to go give her a hug.
“I can’t believe it! What are you doing here?” She asked me hugging me tightly.
"I came here to visit a friend. And what about you, what are you doing in Washington? If I remember correctly, you had moved to Boston"I replied hoping I hadn’t just said something wrong.
"My parents still live in Boston, but I have moved here a year ago to study at Georgetown" she said, smiling proudly.
“When you were twelve you told me you would have gone to Georgetown and here you are, years later" I replied and a smile appeared automatically on my face as I remembered two little girls who had planned their lives in every little detail.
"It seems impossible to me as well. And you? Do you work?” she asked curiously.
"Why don’t we sit down at a table and we update each other about what has happened in the last million years?" I suggested with a smile gesturing toward the table where I had sat before.
"It seems like a good idea" she said promptly.
“Of course, only if you got nothing to do" I added, realizing it all had happened so quickly.
"You're lucky, Griffin. I should be studying, but you are more important” she said and walked over to the table.
"So tell me a little about you" she said as we finished ordering food.
"I go to college in Springfield. Unlike you, nothing much has changed since the last time. I’ve finished high school there and now I'm going to college there. I’ll probably die there” I said and laughed.
"Which is why I had to leave Boston. Always the same people, same places and I couldn’t take it anymore” she said explaining why she had left home.
"I know the feeling and I’d probably be the first one to leave that town, but I can’t leave my mother alone" I said and at that very moment the food we had ordered came in: two sandwiches looking really delicious.
“And who’s the lucky one who got the heart of princess Clarke? If I'm not mistaken you had many small Romeos back in the days” she asked laughing.
"The heart of princess Clarke is pretty confused at the moment" I said as my laughter faded slowly.
"Tell me everything, my curiosity is now exploding"
I spoke during the whole next hour without being interrupted even once. I explained how three years before me and Bellamy had met in high school, how after two months of movies at the cinema and ice cream at the luna park we had got together, how since then my heart had belonged only to him. I told her about Octavia, that had gone to the same elementary school as ours, just one year younger; about Lincoln and inevitably about Lexa.
""I came to visit a friend'"she said, emphasizing the word friend, at the end of my long speech.
"I know, I know. I’m just not used to these new things I feel yet” I said, looking down thinking about what was Lexa doing in that moment, certainly not talking about me like I was doing about her.
"My dear, we have to resolve this situation" she said, placing a hand on mine.
I smiled spontaneously.
“I've missed you little genius" I said placing the other hand on hers.
“I’ve missed you too, but now we don’t have to forget that the one who never replied back or was always late was you!" she said ending the exchange of love.
"Oh really? I don’t think so, your answers always came weeks after! "I'm sorry, I was taking a shower" a shower? For two weeks?” I said laughing.
“That one made me win" she said with a guffaw.
And there we were, after years that we hadn’t seen each other and it felt as if she had never left, not even for a second.
We spent all day walking in Washington, not knowing exactly where to go, talking, laughing and making fun of each other. I felt as I was reliving the same moments of years before and the only thing that mattered to me at that moment was to stay with her.
“You are so important to me, but I have an exam in a few days and I really have to study" Raven said around six pm.
"Thanks for the lovely afternoon and let me know about the exam” I said before saying goodbye.
"And you have to let me know about the Lexa thing" she said winking at me.
"Definitely" I finally said giving her a hug.
-
As soon as I arrived at the door of Lexa’s house, I saw that the light in the living room was on and then realized that she was at home. As I opened the door, I found myself in front of four groceries bags and I instinctively pick up two of them in my hands and took them to the kitchen.
"Ah, you're back" she said turning to face me from behind the kitchen table.
"I had planned to go out for lunch, but I met an old friend and we spent the whole afternoon downtown. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know whether to call you and I didn’t want to bother you because I knew you had a meeting and I didn’t know when it ended” I said justifying my absence.
“Don't worry" she said, laughing to my concern. “As you can see, I just got home too" she finally added, while I put bag on the table and began to take things out of it.
"How was your day?" I asked.
"It seems like I’ve been out for days, the meeting lasted a lifetime. The other teachers kept saying that the project wasn’t good, that the kids at too little and blah blah blah” she said, opening the fridge and putting cheese in it.
"I would like to agree with you, but I have no idea of what this project is about" I said.
"Right. If I talk about it one more time I think I will also say that’s not good” she said shaking her head slightly laughing.
Once we put away the last things in the kitchen and brought some things to the bathroom, Lexa began to prepare something for dinner. After asking three times if she needed help and receiving a negative response every time, I only set the table and nothing sofa and television for tonight.
We had already finished eating around eight. Lexa had prepared mac and cheese with the same cheese she had put in the fridge before, it was so good that I had wanted more and her answer had been a big smile, happy to see that I had liked what she had cooked. As the wax of the candle on the table had almost entirely melted, I got up and went over to the record player. The same morning I had put on it the Elvis Presley’s vinyl and she hadn’t even realized it.
"What are you doing?" she asked me as turned my back on her.
"Why did you want to put this vinyl away?" I asked as the song started.
Elvis’ voice suddenly echoed heating up the atmosphere in the room and she frowned as I turned to face her.
“Because it’s been a long time since I last listened to it" she said.
"A good song can’t been put away just because you don't listen to it" I said slightly laughing.
I approached her.
"Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be” Elvis sang as I looked at her in silence, only half a meter from her that was still sat at the table.
"Take my hand" he sang, and I held out my hand and after hesitating a moment, she took it. She got up from where she was sitting without taking her eyes off of mine and not letting go of my hand.
"Take my whole life too, for I can’t help falling in love with you" I sang the words almost whispering as I was only a few centimeters away from her.
I put my hand on her hip and, as a reflection, she put her arm around my neck. Moving slowly, we began to dance. She leaned her head on my shoulder and I leaned my head on her head. We stood there, moving slowly, without saying a word, until the song ended.
"What does it mean, Clarke?" she asked, looking up at me.
“I can’t help falling in love with you, Lexa" I said losing myself in the green of her eyes.